A Thousand Words
by Callista Miralni
Summary: Team Seven centric. Based on '1000 Words' from Final Fantasy X2. A thousand words were not enough to convey the deep emotions hidden inside. First Naruto fic, please be kind! Implied SasuSaku


A Thousand Words

By: Callista Miralni

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or _1000 Words_ from Final Fantasy X-2

* * *

_I know that you're hiding things_

_Using gentle words to shelter me_

_Your words were like a dream_

_But dreams could never fool me_

_Not that easily_

_I acted so distant then_

_Didn't say goodbye before you left_

_But I was listening_

_You'll fight your battles far from me_

_Far too easily_

"_Save your tears cause I'll come back"_

_I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door_

_But still I swore_

_To hide the pain when I turn back the pages_

_Shouting might have been the answer_

_What if I'd cried by eyes and begged you not to depart_

_But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart

* * *

_

Uchiha Sasuke looked up into the moonlit sky. His clear, onyx eyes took in his surroundings, his mind calm and serene.

"_I love you with all my heart!"_

Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to block the surfacing memory. While he enjoyed quiet moments like this, devoid of Kabuto's nagging and Orochimaru's training, memories such as the one he just suppressed often made their way up in to his unwary mind.

Sasuke turned around and made his way back to the base. The cool night breeze swept past him, chilling his face. Instinctively, Sasuke reached around his head to tighten his hitae-tae to keep the chill off his forehead.

But there was nothing there.

He sighed as he remembered he had lost it during that battle with Naruto. Sasuke didn't know whether or not Naruto even thought of him nowadays.

Angry with himself for thinking such foolish thoughts, Sasuke formed the hand signs for the Chidori and hit a nearby tree.

_Kakashi-sensei…_ Sasuke remembered his mentor. He slowly removed his hand from the caved-in tree trunk and continued his walk back to his room.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun…" Kabuto called out to him as he entered the base.

Sasuke ignored him and slammed his bedroom door behind him. He really did not want to hear Kabuto's requests right now.

Sasuke slumped down on the floor beside his window, staring once again at the night sky. He sighed and ran his fingers through his messy raven hair.

A pink object sitting on his bedside table caught his eye and Sasuke slowly reached out a hand to pick it up.

It was a pink cherry blossom.

Normally, Sasuke would have crushed it and torn it up but today, Sasuke did not feel like destroying the origami piece.

It reminded him of _her_.

* * *

_Though a thousand words_

_Have never been spoken_

_They'll fly to you_

_Crossing over the time and distance holding you_

_Suspended on silver wings_

_And a thousand words_

_One thousand confessions _

_Will cradle you_

_Making all of the pain you feel seem far away_

_They'll hold you forever

* * *

_

Haruno Sakura stared up into the moonlit sky. Her clear, emerald eyes took in her surroundings, her mind calm and serene.

"_Sakura… Thank you."_

Sakura closed her eyes, attempting to block the surfacing memory. She hadn't thought of him in so long, the tears she thought she had cried out threatened to fall.

Sakura sighed and got up off the seat of her balcony. The cool night breeze chilled her to the bone. She grabbed the blanket off her bed, wrapped it around herself and returned to staring at the night sky.

She didn't know what happened to them. Team Seven, indestructible and strong. But they had gone their separate ways, long before their genin team was scheduled to split apart.

Sakura often wondered what was to become of them. She knew from the looks in the others' eyes, they had often thought they would be graced with the presence of another set of Sannin.

Tsunade-sensei, Jiraiya-sama, and Orochimaru were once a close team. But look at them now- one defected and the team fell apart. Sakura didn't want the same to happen to her genin team.

And Kakashi-sensei… people hardly saw him nowadays. He did not train another genin cell after theirs; Sakura figured that Team Seven would be his first, and his last to train.

She hardly saw Naruto either. The hyperactive ninja had made her a promise to bring Sasuke-kun back to them and that promise had become his obsession. When he wasn't on missions or with Jiraiya-sama, Naruto was training, stopping only to eat and go to the bathroom. Sakura was worried about him.

And Sasuke-kun… Kami-sama only knows what kind of training he's been through. For all she knows, Sasuke-kun could have gone to Hell and back, just to get stronger. Sakura continually prayed for his safety.

Sakura sighed and headed towards her bed, knowing that she'd have to get up early tomorrow for her shift at the hospital. A silver object sitting on her bedside table caught her eye. She slowly reached out a hand to grab it.

It was a silver crane.

Normally, Sakura would have squealed over who would leave her such a thing, but tonight Sakura only smiled.

It reminded her of _them_.

* * *

_The dream isn't over yet_

_Though often I say I can't forget_

_I still relive that day_

"_You've been there with me all the way"_

_I still hear you say_

"_Wait for me I'll write you letters"_

_I could see how you stammered with your eyes to the floor_

_But still I swore to hide the doubt_

_When I turn back the pages_

_Anger might have been the answer_

_What if I'd hung my head and said that I couldn't wait_

_But now I'm strong enough to know it's not too late

* * *

_

Uzumaki Naruto stared up into the moonlit sky. His clear, sapphire eyes took in his surroundings, his mind calm and serene.

"_You can't defeat me."_

Naruto shook his head vigorously to get rid of the memory. He hated moments like these, moments that constantly reminded him of what a failure he was.

He made a promise to Sakura-chan and he hasn't kept it. He tried to bring back Sasuke and he failed. He failed miserably. How could he face Sakura-chan now?

Naruto turned around and walked off his balcony. He spotted a folded hitae-tae on his dresser and picked it up, running his thumb gently on the cool metal plate. His fingers found the long, deep gash that marred its smooth surface.

It wasn't his- it was Sasuke's. It was Naruto's only reminder of that last desperate battle on the lake with Sasuke.

Did Sasuke ever think of them nowadays? Naruto highly doubted it- he would be far too busy training and trying to get stronger to kill his brother.

Naruto gently set the hitae-tae down and resumed to staring at the night sky from his balcony. It was one of those few nights that he was actually home, not off gallivanting across the nation with Jiraiya.

He wished that it was one of those rare moments from his genin days, when the three of them and Kakashi-sensei would take a moment's rest and stare at the stars.

But he was all alone, like he had been for the majority of his life. His older sister was probably still holed up in the hospital, fighting to save a patient's life. His older brother was missing in action, somewhere in the north, with a snake freak. And his uncle and father? Well, they were either off on a mission or at home, earning some well-deserved rest. Naruto didn't want to bother them.

He sighed and headed towards his kitchen, in search of a midnight snack to warm him up from the chilly night breeze. A blue object lying on the counter caught his eye. Curious, Naruto reached a hand out to pick it up.

It was a blue fan.

Normally, Naruto would have used it as a fan to cool himself off, but tonight, he simply stared at it with renewed determination.

It reminded him of _him.

* * *

_

_Cause a thousand words_

_Call out through the ages_

_They'll fly to you_

_Even though we can't see I know they're reaching you_

_Suspended on silver wings_

_Oh a thousand words_

_One thousand embraces_

_Will cradle you_

_Making all of your weary days seem far away_

_They'll hold you forever

* * *

_

Hatake Kakashi stared up into the moonlit sky. His clear, dark eye took in his surroundings, his mind calm and serene.

"_Kakashi-sensei."_

Kakashi closed his eyes, trying to suppress the memory and the lone tear that usually followed. He glanced at the framed picture above his bed, the one of himself and Team Seven.

Team Seven- strong, indestructible, broken, and shattered. It didn't matter whether or not his three protégés were on their way to greatness, to him; they were just his students, his family.

Sasuke was so strong and so hopelessly broken. Kakashi knew that he was slowly starting to recover, slowly starting to have a life not focused completely on revenge.

But then Orochimaru appeared and took it all away. If Uchiha Itachi could be accused of shattering his little brother's childish innocence, then Orochimaru would defiantly be the one to destroy it. What way did he know of Sasuke not following that path down to Hell? Kakashi could only rely on his two other students for that knowledge.

Sakura herself was growing stronger, and maturing faster than anyone expected. Granted, she was the most sheltered out of the four of them, the most ignorant and the one they had to protect.

It was his and the boys' way of saying they loved her.

But Sakura took it all wrong. She viewed her physical weakness as a sign to become stronger, to bring Sasuke back from Orochimaru's clutches. Kakashi supposed that Sasuke's absence, while it was a bad thing, had a more positive effect on Sakura and Naruto than the others had previously thought.

And Naruto… what was there to say about Naruto? He was on his way to becoming ANBU in the next few months, maybe even Hokage in a couple of years. Kakashi could only pray for his safety and success.

Kakashi knew that Naruto felt lonely without the other two's presence. How could he not? They and Iruka-sensei were the only family the kid had. What must it be like to come home to an empty house, your entire life?

Kakashi sighed and returned his attention to the night sky, ignoring the cold night breeze that chilled his skin. Out of the corner of his lone eye, Kakashi spotted an orange object lying on the windowsill. He reached out a hand to pick it up.

It was an orange box.

Normally, he would have checked it for any signs of danger, but tonight he simply stared at it and chuckled.

It reminded him of _them_.

* * *

_Oh a thousand words_

_Have never been spoken_

_They'll fly to you_

_They'll carry you home and back into my arms_

_Suspended on silver wings ohh…_

_And a thousand words_

_Call out through the ages_

_They'll cradle you_

_Turning all of the lonely years to only days_

_They'll hold you forever

* * *

_

Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Hatake Kakashi stared up into the moonlit sky, thinking only of each other.

As each slipped deeper into the comforting world of sleep and dreams, they waited with bated breath for the sun to rise.

It would be the dawn of a new day, the day when Uchiha Sasuke would be back, safe and sound, in Haruno Sakura's arms, the day when Uchiha Sasuke would be sparring Uzumaki Naruto just for fun, the day when Uchiha Sasuke would learn how to live from Hatake Kakashi, the day when Team Seven would be reunited at last.

Until then, Team Seven could only wait and hope.

_They'll hold you forever_….


End file.
